Antipasto Salad

Antipasto is refreshing salad usually served as an appetizer, but I often serve it as the entree in summer, along with a nice loaf of Italian bread just out of the oven and a bottle of Cabernet wine. Cabs are the lowest acid wine (unless the vintner adds acid, which almost all do), so it will temper the acids in the salad. Antipasto makes a great dish for office buffets or church socials, and don’t overlook it as a picnic option because it is very easy to make in advance and it travels well. The important thing to keep in mind is that this is not a last minute salad, you need to start a minimum of two hours before serving, and could even prepare the pasta in the morning while you starting your bread. Once the pasta completely cools, you can add everything but the dressing – don’t add dressing until just before serving (or taking to your out of home event).

Ingredients

  • 1 lb seashell pasta
  • 1 TBL Kosher salt and 2 quarts water
  • 0.25 lb Genoa salami – diced or sliced in to ribbons
  • 0.25 lb Pepperoni sausage – sliced into ribbons
  • 0.5 lb Asiago cheese – diced
  • 1 – 6 oz can black olives – drained and chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper – diced, peeled if you want to be fancy
  • 1 green bell pepper – diced
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 pkg (.7 oz) dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
  • Dressing
    • 6 oz Olive oil – extra virgin
    • 2 oz Balsamic vinegar
    • 2 TBL dried oregano
    • 1 TBL dried parsley
    • 1 TBL grated Parmesan cheese
    • salt and ground black pepper to taste

Process

  1. Mise en Place – Measure and prepare you ingredients before you start.
  2. Make the pasta – start at least two hours before serving
    1. Bring pot water to a boil then generously add salt (~1 tsp or more to taste).
    1. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente (still firm when bitten).
    2. Drain, and cool under cold water.
    3. Put in fridge to get cold until just before ready to serve.
  3. Combine pasta, salami, pepperoni, Asiago cheese, black olives, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and tomatoes.
  4. Stir in the dry dressing mix.
  5. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
  6. Make the dressing: Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Just before serving, pour dressing over the salad, and mix well.
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